Can I drink beer while pregnant?

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Beer is one of the most popular drinks in the world. It is consumed by both women and men; there are many brands of the drink on the alcoholic beverage market. Studies show that beer alcoholism is very popular. Many people consider beer to be a less harmful drink than other alcohol, others talk about its benefits, citing its rich composition.

A large number of women suffer from beer alcoholism. Sometimes it is difficult for them to give up addiction even after the onset of pregnancy. And then the logical question arises as to whether it is possible to drink beer during pregnancy, whether there is a dose that will be safe for the fetus and expectant mother.

Beer for pregnant women

Preventing the question of whether it is permissible to drink alcohol while carrying a child, you should immediately answer that it is absolutely impossible to do this. Beer during pregnancy negatively affects the development of the fetus, the well-being of the pregnant woman, and the functional activity of her organs.

Theoretically, everyone knows this, but inthere are myths in society, thanks to which women in position ignore the ban on drinking this drink. And it is important to debunk these myths in order to emphasize the importance of not drinking beer during the perinatal period.

Beer ingredients

One of the most popular myths about beer is the benefits of its composition. A large amount of vitamin B, which is really present in the drink, helps to strengthen the nervous system, has a beneficial effect on the activity of the liver, the condition of hair, skin and nails.

But at the same time, beer contains a huge amount of substances that harm the body. Beer during pregnancy causes intoxication due to the ethyl alcohol contained in it, and cob alt, which is added to the drink by all manufacturers in order to create a thick and lush foam.

Cob alt has a destructive effect on the tissues of many organs, mainly the brain, liver and stomach. At the same time, the harm extends to the he alth of the mother and the condition of the fetus.

It is important to understand that the beer we buy in the store is very different in composition from a natural drink. Instead of the substance obtained during the fermentation of hops and m alt, we get only a concentrate of these substances, diluted with ethyl alcohol, cob alt and chemical components that contribute to the preservation of the taste and appearance of beer.

Influence on the hormonal system

When a man regularly drinks beer, the activity of his endocrine system is disturbed, the amount ofhormones, which we conventionally call "female".

However, the situation is diametrically opposite for women. The amount of "male" hormones, in particular testosterone, is growing, because the concentration of "female" hormones is falling. It is also harmful for women who are not waiting for a new addition to the family, and drinking beer during pregnancy is even more dangerous for a woman.

Hormonal imbalance during childbearing is dangerous for arbitrary termination of pregnancy, that is, miscarriage. In order to normalize and stabilize the level of hormones of the expectant mother, the doctor prescribes a number of drugs. Usually, professional help guarantees minimal risk, but taking any medication cannot be absolutely beneficial for a person. And if there is a chance to avoid it, that is exactly what you should do.

Effect on pregnancy

Beer is an alcoholic drink, so the question of benefits and harms can be considered from the point of view of the impact on the body not only of beer specifically, but also of alcohol in general. The decay products of ethyl alcohol are dangerous if you drink beer during pregnancy for all nine months, but in the first trimester this drink can cause intrauterine growth retardation, various deformities of the child, and even miscarriage.

Alcohol addiction

A common problem voiced by pregnant women who continue to drink beer during pregnancy is the damage from stress that occurs in the body when alcohol is abruptly withdrawn.

Indeed, when a person develops addiction, the process of weaning from it should be smooth, gradual. But it is important to consider whether, in a particular case, a woman has alcoholism. In the vast majority of cases, beer is easy to give up.

Get rid of addiction

But even if a pregnant woman experiences severe discomfort without drinking alcohol and decides that it is okay to drink beer during pregnancy, this decision is wrong. First, the harm from a dose of alcohol is much higher than the discomfort associated with the inability to satisfy the desire for a glass of beer.

Secondly, it is quite possible to get rid of alcohol addiction by learning how to properly manage yourself and your psyche. The human body is controlled by the brain, so a woman who wants to bear and give birth to a he althy child needs to master the skills of distraction from the subject of addiction. For example, to compensate for the desire with other pleasant activities, relaxation techniques.

To help yourself cope with addiction, you can contact a specialist - a psychotherapist who treats chemical addictions, a narcologist.

Non-alcoholic beer

There is a judgment that a great alternative to beer is its non-alcoholic counterpart. It has the same taste that allows a person to "trick" their brain into completely giving up drinking alcohol, but at the same time without torturing themselves with the need to refuse.

But if a patient asks her obstetrician if beer can beduring pregnancy, if it is non-alcoholic, she will hear a negative response.

The fact is that alcohol is still present in a soft drink - in a small amount, invisible to most people, but quite noticeable for a fetus that suffers from intoxication.

Also, non-alcoholic beer is a chemical drink that includes a huge amount of chemicals: dyes, preservatives, stabilizers, foam formers. During pregnancy, a woman's entire body is under a tremendous load: the kidneys, liver work with great difficulty, and if these two organs cannot cope with the functional load, then the heart.

Drinking non-alcoholic beer, a woman loads the filtration system of the body with the need to remove not only the decay products released into the blood by the fetus, but also the chemicals of the drink.

What can replace beer?

Patients often ask their midwives how to replace beer during a long period of bearing a child. Options include non-alcoholic beer, carbonated drinks, kvass.

Among soft drinks, a pregnant woman can choose any, based on the following rules:

• drink should not be carbonated;
• it must be caffeine free;
• The amount of fluid intake should be controlled based on the presence and severity of edema.

You should also be careful with the use of herbal infusions. Despite their undeniable benefits,pharmacokinetics, that is, the rate of excretion of active components, is poorly controlled.

Therefore, you can replace beer with natural juices, mineral water, tea, fermented milk products.

Thus, the answer to the question of whether you can drink beer during pregnancy or not is rhetorical. To maintain the he alth of the expectant mother, increase the likelihood of having a he althy baby, you can and should give up the addiction of drinking alcohol.